The Girl Who Changed Everything
by animazing23
Summary: Near's headquarters is visited by a strange girl who claims she can help with the Kira investigation. Who is she and what does she have to offer?
1. An Alliance

"This way ma'am," the agent said as he led a young girl into a room with large monitors lining the walls and various people filing through paperwork and speaking through headsets. The girl pulled down the rim of her hood further over her head, self-conscious about any and all suspicious people in the room. After all, her brother had taught her to be overly-cautious ever since she was born. She was going to make him proud.

Suddenly, a little boy with curly white hair came into her line of sight. He was sitting on the floor with one knee curled to his chest and the other resting on the floor, arranging toy cars of various models and colors into a circle around his body. The girl gasped and brought a hand to her mouth in shock. They were just so….similar.

The boy's head cocked to the side as the noise escaped her mouth. "Do we have a visitor today?" he asked, not bothering to turn and face her.

The agent opened his mouth to speak, but chose not to as the girl walked forward and knelt down beside the boy and his protective circle of cars. She locked her eyes with his and stared intently into their black depths. Neither of them spoke as the seconds ticked by.

Slowly, the girl raised her hands to her head and removed her hood revealing a pale face, short, black hair that reached her chin and dark eyes. She smiled wistfully at the boy and spoke in a soft voice. "Hello, Near. My name is Hana."

The boy broke his gaze with her and continued building his circle with the toy cars. "Considering you know who I am, it's right to assume that you're here to assist us in the Kira investigation. Am I correct?" he asked while glancing at her from the corner of his eye. When she nodded, he continued.

"So this means that you would have useful information regarding the case. My question for you is what could you possibly know that is good enough for you to make it this far into our headquarters? Occasionally, we get the do-gooder who thinks himself kind enough to give tip-offs, but these are pointless to the investigation. I have people assigned to sort through them and almost none make it directly to me."

The girl stayed silent, listening as he explained his reasoning to her. "You want to know how a girl like me can know information important enough to come directly to the head of this investigation, right?"

"Ah, so you can put two and two together," he said as he placed the last car on the floor, completing the circle. "But I also want to know what you hope to gain from helping us, that is, if you do happen to have useful information."

"Revenge," she said simply while shifting from her kneeling position to sit cross-legged beside Near, yet still outside of his circle of cars.

Near turned his head towards her and met her gaze for the second time. She could sense the question in his eyes, even if he didn't want to admit it. She knew that this boy would want to try to figure this puzzle out by himself, but she wasn't going to let him.

"Kira killed my brother," she said. "I came here to avenge him. I came here to avenge L."

**Please read and leave reviews and comments! Based on them, I'll decide if I want to continue the story.**


	2. Facing The Past

"He would've chosen you, Near. Just so you know," Hana whispered softly while staring at her hands that were curled into fists on her lap. Despite sitting in an armchair, she chose to sit cross-legged with a slight slouch in her posture, apparently an influence from her brother's habits.

Currently, Near had been stacking a tower of dominoes, absentmindedly, but his hand paused before he added another layer onto the masterpiece. "What?" he asked.

"My brother. He would've chosen you to be his next successor," she said with a little more confidence.

Hearing her repeat exactly what he thought he heard made him smile slightly as his hand continued adding layers to the stack of dominoes, but he still said nothing. After hearing Hana's confession that she was related to L, Near had decided to keep her around to pump her for information on the identity of Kira. First, of course, he had his staff complete a thorough background check to confirm her relation to the late detective and found the results to be exactly what he'd hoped for. Apparently, this girl had been on the inside of the case and made contact with pretty much every investigator on the Japanese task force. She could provide detailed descriptions of every lead, every suspect, every dead-end and every discovery that the group had encountered during their investigation, a helpful tool that would bring them one step closer to catching Kira. Although her powers of perception were not quite as great as her brother's, or Near's for that matter, her IQ was still well above the norm which would prove useful as the case would progress.

First, however, he had to make this timid girl feel comfortable with trusting him before questioning her. She obviously hadn't forgotten the ghosts of the pasts or her brother's untimely death. On top of that, she had to have realized by now that one of the people that she knew and saw every day may be the psychotic killer, Kira. Obviously, that wasn't enough to stop her seeing as she was here, though.

As Near reached for the last few dominoes, Hana uncrossed her legs and stood up from the armchair. Folding her arms over her chest as if she was cold, she strode over to the white haired boy and leaned down to his level to meet his gaze with her dark eyes.

"So, are you going to start asking me questions or are we just going to sit around while Kira keeps killing more people?"

Near's hand slipped slightly, causing his domino tower to topple to the floor. He sighed in defeat, then met her gaze, annoyed with her constant desire for eye contact. "Alright then, Hana. We can get started any time you like."

"I'm ready when you are," she said with an almost uncertain tone.

Near cocked his head, then gestured over to one of the nearby agents assigned to keep an eye on them. The male agent nodded and walked over to hand the boy a small tape recorder. When Near obtained the device, he glanced at Hana, observing her reaction. She didn't display any signs of immediate panic or discomfort, so when she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded encouragingly, he pressed the red RECORD button and set the device on the ground next to them.

"Alright, let's begin."

**What questions will Near ask? Will Hana help in in his investigation and is there possible chemistry between the two characters? Well, the more reviews and comments I get, the more compelled I feel to write the next chapter….just saying.**


	3. Completing the Puzzle

Near twirled a piece of his white hair around his finger, contemplating what to ask first. Judging by Hana's silence, she wasn't in a hurry to rush him either. This interview might just be the key to unlocking the identity of Kira, so it had to be conducted correctly, or important evidence could be lost. Near wasn't quite sure if the bravery of this girl would be a one-time thing, or if she was willing to cooperate with him indefinitely, so it would be better to be safe than sorry. He had to ask the most important questions here and now just in case Hana ran off back into hiding. If the Japanese task force was unable to find her after all these years, how would he be able to? Besides, he had more important matters to be concerned about than the location of some girl.

Releasing the strand of hair from his fingers, he gazed at Hana and said, "So, I'm going to start out being very blunt, if you don't mind. You had access to the internal workings of the Japanese task force, is that correct?"

"Yes," Hana replied, hollowly.

"And your brother often openly shared information with you in regards to the case, right?"

Hana flinched slightly at the mention of her dead sibling, then said, "It's not like L shared information with me in secret. I was an active member in the investigation and every member of the task force knew it. But yes, I do know a lot about the case."

"Then you are also aware of the danger you are in," Near added, bluntly.

"That's not important right now. My brother would be disappointed in me if I had information vital to solving this crime and I just kept it to myself. I'll tell you anything about the case you want to know."

"It's not so much about the case that I want to know about at this moment. I want to know more about the other task force members."

Hana opened her mouth as if she were about to speak, then closed it abruptly.

Near pushed forward. "You do know that Kira is most likely one of those men still on the task force, don't you? So I'm going to ask you this: which member do you think would be Kira."

Hana's dark eyes went slightly out of focus as she thought about her answer. "I don't think I can answer that," she said slowly. "I just don't have enough proof at the moment."

"The question wasn't about having proof. It's about who do YOU think could be Kira. It's all your personal opinion," Near explained, playing with yet another strand of his hair.

Hana cupped her chin, thoughtfully while thinking about each member of the task force. She winced slightly as she did so, thinking about how one of those men that she worked with could have maliciously killed her brother along with hundreds of others. A delicate shudder rippled up her spine. Then, she remember something.

"Well, my brother had his heart set on a guy named Light Yagami. He's the son of the chief of police. L investigated him on every angle that was possible. He stuck video cameras in his house, he handcuffed himself to Light for weeks, and he even had Light detained for 24-hour surveillance to prove that he was Kira."

Near didn't let any emotion show on his face. "And I'm guessing that something happened that ended the investigation on Light. What was it?"

"Well, there is more to the story. He also detained Light's girlfriend named Misa Amane as well. His theory was that she was the second Kira and that they were working together. They were locked up for weeks together along with Light's father to prove his innocence."

"I see," Near said, thinking over this information carefully. "And how did Light Yagami and Misa Amane act while being imprisoned?"

"Well, Misa naturally denied knowing anything about the identity of Kira and Light was just calm throughout the event. He just sat there, not really saying anything, as if he knew that his innocence would be proven. But the thing is, while they were under surveillance, the killings just stopped. All evidence at the time pointed to those two being Kira," Hana recalled.

Near was about to ask another question, but Hana interrupted him by jolting as she remembered something else. "But then, after a while, their attitudes changed completely while we were waiting for killings to occur to prove their innocence. Misa suddenly claimed that she didn't know why she was being detained. She thought that we were some sort of stalkers and even tried to kill herself! Also, Light's calm demeanor vanished completely. He grew desperate and begged for his release as if he were an entirely different person!"

"So then, how did L decide to release them? I'm assuming that's what he did eventually."

Hana's eyes darkened even further at the memory. "Well, it was more of a gamble. L had Light's father drive him and Misa to a deserted area, then pull out a gun, telling them that he was going to kill Light and then himself. The plan was that if Light was Kira, that he would kill his father before he would be shot and/or Misa would do the same to protect Light, but nothing happened. The gun only contained a blank, so nobody was hurt when it was shot and Light was let off the hook."

"Just like that?" Near asked, surprised at L's action to release Light after all that trouble.

Hana nodded. "Yes, but that was before we learned that Kira was killing using a notebook…." her eyes widened as she trailed off, putting the pieces together. "So, Misa and Light couldn't have killed Mr. Yagami even if they wanted to because they didn't have the notebook with them!"

Near nodded, agreeing with her logic. "But L must've realized that as well," he said quietly.

"Yes, he did. But after we obtained the notebook, we realized that there was a set of rules that went along with it. One of the rules stated that if the user didn't write names down within thirteen days of each other, that the user would die. That was just used for more evidence to support Light's innocence."

"Is that so? Now there are rules on how to kill," Near said quietly while his upper lip curled slightly in disgust.

"And there's more. Whoever touches the notebook is able to see a Shinigami," Hana added gravely.

"A Shinigami? You mean that they actually exist?" Near asked, leaning forward. This was the most interest he had shown in any conversation that he'd had in the past.

"Yes. I know it sounds crazy, but I've seen it and talked to it enough to know that they exist," Hana explained.

"What was it like? The Shinigami, I mean."

Hana tilted her head, thoughtfully. "Well, as far as I can understand, this particular Shinigami just liked to mess with humans. In truth, Death Notes aren't even supposed to make it to the mortal world, but this Shinigami just liked to bend the rules."

_Bend the rules. Bend the rules. Bend the rules._

Near's eyes widened to the size of saucers and time itself seemed to freeze as the last piece of the puzzle fell into place.

_Well, my brother had his heart set on a guy named Light Yagami._

_Light's calm demeanor vanished completely. _

_Misa and Light couldn't have killed Mr. Yagami even if they wanted to because they didn't have the notebook with them! _

_One of the rules stated that if the user didn't write names down within thirteen days of each other, that the user would die._

_Bend the rules. _

_Bend the rules._

_Bend the rules._

"Near, are you okay?" Hana asked as she reached out a hand to touch his shoulder.

Near turned his head and met her frightened eyes. "Hana….I think we've done it."

"Done what?" she asked, retracting her hand.

Near reached out with a shaky hand to grab the tape recorder. Staring at it for a few seconds, he pressed the STOP button."We've solved the case. I know who Kira is."

**So, what do you think? How will Hana react to meeting her brother's killer once again? You know the drill: read and review, yadda yadda yadda.**


	4. Friends and Foes

Near calmly placed two more toy figures in his arrangement displayed at his feet while Hana paced back and forth in front of him, wringing her hands nervously. After hearing Near's logic that proved that Light Yagami was in fact Kira, Hana became only more determined to catch him. She agreed to accompany them to a scheduled meeting at a warehouse so that she could face Light one last time before he would be taken into custody, and most likely sentenced to death. Near felt like this was the best way to offer her some sort of closure for her brother's murder. After all, it was the least he could do to honor the alliance that they had made together. She had given him valuable evidence that revealed the identity of Kira, so it was only fair that he offered her something in return. She had seemed confident back at the headquarters when she had said that she wanted to come with him and take part in Light's arrest, but now, when he and the other Japanese task force members were only moments away from arriving, her fear seemed to have taken the place of her confidence.

"You know, you can leave any time that you wish. You don't have to go through with this if you are uncomfortable," Near said as he glanced up at her pacing form.

Hana froze, momentarily thinking over the situation, then began pacing again. "No, I need to see Light one last time. I want him to know he was discovered because of me," she declared, her hands closing into fists. Her pacing stopped as she was about to pass Near, then she turned to face him, met his gaze, and her eyes turned o steel and her voice turned to venom. "I want to see the look in his eyes as he realizes that it's all over. I want him to see my brother when he looks at me."

Near was surprised to see this new side of Hana. Normally quiet and timid, this new girl was some sort of hidden alter-ego, completely focused on revenge. He nodded in understanding and picked up one of the toy figures in the row at his feet. Hana's gaze rested on the figure, noticing that it slightly resembled her with it's short, black hair, pale face, and dark eyes.

"And what will you do when this is all over? Where will you go?" he asked as he held the toy out to her.

Hana took the toy version of herself and gazed into it's souless, black eyes as if they somehow held the answer. "I don't really know. I hadn't really thought about it," she admitted sheepishly.

Near was silent as he began rearranging the figures once again, this time with the toy versions of Light and the other members of the Japanese task force on one side and himself along with the other members of the investigation team on the other. He titled his head as he noticed that something was missing.

"You know," he said, "you have been a great help with solving this case. And although you may not be the next L, your abilities as a detective are still well above the norm." He reached up and gently took the toy-Hana from her hand. "If you want, we would love to have you join us as part of the team," he said as he placed the female figure beside the toy version of himself. That was truly the way he wanted it to be in the real world. In truth, it wasn't just because she could be of use in future cases. He felt something different while he was interviewing and solving the mystery with her, something he had never felt before. It was like the case was interesting as he looked at it in new ways. He felt like somehow, working the case with Hana made it more interesting to him. It was as if he could clear his mind and think better when she was around him. He could only imagine the possibilities of them working as a team, tackling new and exciting cases and taking down the crime of the world together. A ghost of a smile tugged on the edges of his mouth as he did so.

"Well, I'm sure my brother would be proud if I followed in his footsteps to become a detective. Even more so with his own successor," Hana commented thoughtfully, snapping Near out of his thoughts.

With a small smile and a nod, she looked down at Near's sitting form and said, "Alright, Near. I accept your proposition." Leaning down to his level, she reached a hand out to the boy to seal the deal. Without hesitation, Near took her hand in his and shook it firmly, holding on just a little longer than a typical friendly handshake.

"Glad to have you with us," he said, trying with difficulty not to let emotion show on his face.

"Sir, they're approaching!" a male agent shouted from across the warehouse as he peeked out the door.

Near glanced at Hana once again. "This is your last chance to back out. Are you sure you are ready for this?"

Hana straightened back up, clenched her fists at her sides, bit her lip, and nodded determinedly. She chose not to let her shaky voice betray just how scared she really was.

Near returned his attention to his display of toy figures and picked up the versions of Hana, himself, and Light and positioned them away from the rest of the group so that he and Hana were side by side, facing the lone murderer. Looking back up at the warehouse door, he whispered, "Alright, Kira. We're ready for you now. Let's see what you've got."

**Sorry that this chapter is so short, but I'm kinda cramming it in so that the next chapter will be the best. The next chapter will be the end of the story, so I want to thank all my readers and reviewers for their support. I hope you've enjoyed the story!**


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